1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical devices, and in particular, to a clamping device that has a bendable shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Clamping devices are typically used to occlude blood vessels during a surgical procedure. Conventional clamping devices are also known as clamps, and have a shaft that connects a pair of jaws with a handle at opposite ends thereof. The pair of jaws open and close about a pivot point in a motion that resembles that of a scissors. These conventional clamps are typically made from stainless steel and the shaft is therefore completely rigid. As a result, such conventional clamps are bulky and can interfere with the surgeon""s access to the surgical site. To address this problem, elastic bands were sometimes used to hold the handles of the clamp away from the location of the surgical site.
With the increasing popularity of minimally invasive surgical procedures, access to the surgical site is reduced, thereby creating a need for smaller clamping devices, or clamping devices that can be moved away from the surgical site after the blood vessel has been clamped by the clamping device. As a result, the conventional clamps pose significant access problems to the surgeon when used during minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Thus, there remains a need for a clamping device that can be used to effectively clamp a blood vessel at a surgical site, while not interfering with the surgeon""s access to the surgical site.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a clamp that does not interfere with a surgeon""s access to the surgical site during use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a clamp that can effectively clamp a blood vessel at a surgical site.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a clamp whose handle can be moved away from the surgical site after the clamp has clamped the blood vessel.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a clamp that has a shaft which can be both completely rigid and completely flexible, with the rigid shaft being capable of withstanding axial loads, side loads, and moments applied to the jaws of the clamp.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a clamp that can be used in open and endoscopic surgeries.
The objectives of the present invention are accomplished by providing a clamp having a handle assembly, a gripping assembly having a pair of jaws that can be opened and closed to grip an element, and a shaft assembly. The shaft assembly has a flexible shaft having a proximal end that is coupled to the handle assembly and a distal end that is coupled to the gripping assembly. The flexible shaft also defines a bore that retains a cable which has a proximal end that is operatively coupled to the handle assembly and a distal end that is operatively coupled to the gripping assembly. A retractable and generally rigid covering is also provided and which can be oriented in a first position where the covering exposes a portion of the flexible shaft, and in a second position where the covering completely covers the flexible shaft.
The clamp can be utilized in a surgical procedure by first introducing the jaws through a surgical site or a trocar, then closing the jaws to grip a blood vessel, and then selectively withdrawing the covering from the flexible shaft so that a portion of, or the entire the region of, the flexible shaft is now completely flexible. At this time, the handle assembly can be moved away from the surgical site.